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Gristle
"Staaaarrrrrboaaaarrrd - flank! Something stuck in your ear slits, boy? Again, frrrrrom the top!" * Gristle to Sir Devon, in flight training "They - the Pure Ones, that is - call this formation the 'Unbreakable'. We'll see about that." * Gristle to his students at the lecture hollow Gristle is a minor character from a series of role-playing sessions set shortly after the Siege of the Great Tree in the Guardians of Ga´Hoole background, and became the subject of a drawing challenge between users FaolaTheWolf and KnightOwlet. Description Gristle is a slate-grey Northern Pygmy Owl with a permanent scowl on his face. He wears a masked Guardian helmet when flying missions, but usually carries it tucked under one wing. He's also rarely seen without his rattan stick, which he uses to indicate directions, dress ranks and whack the odd owl that is late to get into line. Personality When he is angry, Gristle can swell to double his size with fluffed-up plumage. His command voice gives the cheekiest young Guardian-in-training pause, and even Twilight was seen stiffening to attention and clicking his talons at a barked order from Gristle. History At the Tree Gristle is tough as nails. He has seen a lot of battles and skirmishes in his life, and earned his name when he struggled out of an eagle's beak - "too gristly for an eagle to chew", Bubo remarked when he carried him to the infirmary. Now nobody seems to remember that his original name was Thistledown. His aptitude with formations and small-unit tactics has made him the formation combat ryb at the Great Tree. Given a few days, he'll meld any collection of unruly youngsters into a tight pattern capable of outfighting any number of enemy flyers. On festival parade flights, he acts as sergeant-at arms. Quest for the Lost Books Gristle was Sir Devon´s ryb and taught him the ropes of flight patterns. It was his tuition that later enabled Devon to shatter the Pure Ones´ formation during his duel with the Barn Owl commander Ruthven and block their pursuit of his friends Teleria and Splinter. When the three returned to the Great Tree with the books, the Pure Ones in hot pursuit, Gristle led the sortie that drove the Tytonics off. Instead of a welcome, he growled at the injured Devon, "Took your own sweet time showing up. Fall into formation, if you haven´t forgotten how", then added, with slightly more warmth but softly, "And get that wing seen to. Well done, Guardian." Battle in the Beyond In the War of the Ember, Gristle was placed in charge of a squadron of Guardians-in-training. They harried the flanks of the Pure One forces, hemming them in and disrupting their communications, but he kept his students from tangling with larger units. When an elite platoon of Tytonic soldiers bore down on them, Gristle split from his unit and attacked, buying his students time to regain the safety of the Guardians´ lines. He was killed, and is remembered among the honoured dead at the Hot Gates of the Beyond. Trivia Not surprisingly, Gristle was modelled on my drill instructor. Category:Characters Category:Fan Characters Category:Guardians Category:Guardians Of Ga'hoole Category:Guardians of Ga'hoole Category:Pygmy Owls Category:Males Category:Male Category:Protagonists Category:Shadow Forest Category:Rybs Category:Search-and-Rescue Chaw Category:Splinter´s Band Category:Deceased characters